Ilorin elders sue Kwara for sale of communal land

The face-off over the alleged sale of some ancestral lands in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital, has taken a legal twist as some senior indigenes have filed a suit at the Ilorin High Court restraining the state government from transferring public ownership of such land to private businesses.

The suit centres on the alleged sale or intention to sell what the claimants called the communal-owned Old Yidi Praying Ground, also called the Ilorin Amusement Park. The disputed land is home to the statue of the “Unknown Soldier”.

They averred that the land has been used as Ilorin Muslim community’s praying ground since 1904.

The plaintiffs explained that it was in 1977, during the regime of Brig. George Innih, the Military Governor of Kwara State, the Ilorin Eid (Yoruba: Yidi) praying ground was moved to the present praying ground at the Adinimonle (now Irewolede) Area of Ilorin, following an increase in Muslim population.

They said the old Eid (Yidi) was then converted to a public-owned Amusement Park, a project that was/is meant to serve the interests of the public.

They said: “The land was never at any time acquired by any government but was part of the Ilorin community’s decisions and contributions to the Islamic religious rites, practices and festivals of the community and later for the beautification of the Ilorin town and to serve as tourism, recreational, relaxation and events centre for the people of Ilorin and the citizens of the state.”

Besides the state government and some of its agents, also joined in the suit as defendants are: the alleged buyer of the land, Artee Industry Limited – owners of ‘Park and Shop’ – and Mrs Toyin Saraki, wife of former Governor Bukola Saraki, who the plaintiff accused of using her position as the then governor’s wife to facilitate the sale of the land to Artee.

They claimed in a writ of summons filed before the court that 80 per cent of the proceeds from the sale went to Mrs Saraki.